James Suckling 93 points - full of flair and seriously juicy with racy undertones
The wine is a garnet red with a crimson tint. The highly expressive nose is remarkable for its intense and radiant red fruit aromas mingled with notes of roasted coffee and marzipan. The ample and full-bodied attack reveals a well-rounded, silky tannic structure, giving an impression of richness and volume, underlined by a generous and varied range of flavours such as cherry, vanilla and liquorice. The long finish is sustained by hints of chocolate.
Château d'Armailhac, a 5eme Cru Classé Pauillac property, is located immediately next to Château Mouton-Rothschild. No other Bordeaux château has undergone as many name changes. In 1956 it was known as Mouton d'Armailhacq before it was renamed, first as Mouton Baron Philippe, then as Mouton Baronne Philippe. Since 1989 its original identity has been restored and it is now known as Château d'Armailhac. Baron Philippe de Rothschild bought the estate in 1933 and it remains in the hands of his daughter, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild.
In terms of the weather, although 2015 was slightly warmer than average, it was above all very dry (706 mm of rain, compared with an annual average of 862 mm), especially between February and July, from budbreak to veraison. As a result the berries remained small, which explains why the yield was rather low even though we had hopes of a normal crop after flowering. Rainfall in August and September was higher than average, which helped to prevent the ripening process from coming to a halt in a vineyard already stressed by the lack of water. As a result, the grapes matured at rather different rates from one plot to another, according to the variety, the age of the vines and the terroir. In order to ensure that each grape variety and each plot was picked at optimum maturity, the harvest period was the longest in living memory. It lasted 23 days between our three estates, from the first Merlot clusters on 14 September to the last Cabernet Sauvignon grapes on 6 October.
The grapes were magnificent, and fermentation took place quickly. The wines immediately showed plenty of colour and a complete array of very intense aromas ranging from red and black fruit to spice and incense. The tannins are generally well-rounded, dense and seamlessly smooth. After blending the wines still have the same aromatic intensity and complex, full-bodied structure, that barrel-maturing should further enhance. The 2015 vintage in Pauillac was very similar in its heft and opulence to the 2005 vintage.
A beautiful fillet of beef
James Suckling - 93 points
Decanter - 92 points
